Burglars carrying screwdrivers and hammers wanted for series of break-ins in Corby and Wellingborough

Published:13:32Thursday 23 April 2015

Several burglaries being carried out by armed burglars are being linked by police in Northamptonshire.

Officers from Northamptonshire Police are asking people to be vigilant following a spate of break-ins in Northamptonshire.

These have often taken place in the late evenings, in rural or quiet locations and against elderly victims where cash and jewellery have been stolen.

Victims have reported seeing weapons, on one occasion the offender had a screwdriver and on another a hammer was bought along, although no one has been hurt during the burglaries.

Officers are currently connecting six offences and a further incident where men were seen to be behaving suspiciously, between Thursday, March 26 and Saturday, April 18.

These have taken place across the county including Northampton, Corby, Rushton and Wellingborough.

Detective Sergeant Emma Nealon, from the Organised Crime and Drugs Team, said: “There have been a few offences across the county that we are linking at the moment. While the majority have been in more rural/quiet locations, some have been on the outskirts of busy towns.

“It appears the group are leaving the properties in possibly stolen vehicles which may have the wrong registration plates on.

“We don’t want to alarm people, however, given the nature of these cases, and that in a number of them there have been elderly victims, we want to raise awareness amongst the public and in particular to ask family members and friends to keep an eye on the elderly and advise them appropriately.

“We are carrying out regular patrols in the neighbourhoods and have investigators working to identify the offenders responsible. We would ask members of the public to contact us immediately if they have any information that can help the investigation.”

Anyone with any information can call Northamptonshire Police on 101, or 999 in an emergency. Alternatively, they can call the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.